Shane Shaps has always made it her business to tell anyone and everyone she knows about a great product, brand or experience. In 2009 she began to incorporate her social skills with her social media activity and 520 East Brands was born. The company serves as an online voice for the brands it represents. By using social channels, brands can more readily listen to their community, appeal to their customers’ needs and respond to questions and feedback. She feels strongly that a brand with just a Facebook page and a Twitter handle does not equal a social media savvy brand. Creating a real, human persona for each organization is what Shane feels truly represents a brand and the people behind it. 520 East Brands is committed to each client by seeing engagement from the consumer’s point of view. We take the time to develop the voice, to collaborate with our clients, and to stay ahead of new technology. We consider ourselves an extension of the marketing team. Known to some as the “Professional Big Mouth,” Shane starts her day early, manages the schedules of two children, a husband and two labradors, and takes the action of “networking” to a whole new level. Whether online or face-to-face, her enthusiasm for her clients is infectious.
In 2021, Shane launched “Let’s Get Real” a weekly livestream where she brings thought leaders from around the marketing world to her show for a conversation about having a real voice in your brand’s marketing.

Meredith Williams is the 520 East Brands Administrative Assistant. She grew up in Louisville and loves all it has to offer as a big little city. She has held a variety of jobs in the past 20 years, from preschool teacher to car title clerk to nanny to youth minister. In 2010 she created Taking Care of the Details-a full service admin assistant company for business owners. Her typical clients get overwhelmed with all the big and small details of running a business. Meredith works with a variety of businesses and enjoys the new challenges they bring her each day. She is proud to have 520 East Brands as one of her regular clients. In her spare time Meredith enjoys spending time with her family – her husband and two children, as well as walking and cooking – all for relaxation.

Lindsay was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She works full-time as a Client Service Manager for HealthcareFirst, in Louisville. She has experience in social media platforms, software and survey administration in-home health and hospice, retail customer service and marketing. She loves cheering on the University of Kentucky Wildcats and gets fired often for cheering against the University of Florida. She is an active member of the Sojourn Community Church JTown Campus.

Candace has a diverse set of experiences from working with a variety of businesses including fortune 500 brands, medical practices, artists, interior designers and a variety of local businesses. Throughout her career, Candace has often been a one-person marketing team, and is versed in many aspects of marketing: from plan and concept development, to execution and launch, media planning/placement, and customer engagement through social media. In her role with 520 East Brands she enjoys leveraging those skills to create real connections with our brands’ customers. Engaging in those one-on-one conversations with others as excited about our brands as we are is her favorite part of the job. Seeing those real connections propel people to action for real results – even better! When not on social media, you may find Candace spending time with family or playing in the mud. She loves to let her creative juices flow through a lump of clay and turn it into functional art.

Melissa Chipman is a freelance writer and communications specialist whose previous work can be seen in the now-defunct Insider Louisville, the now-defunct The Paper, and the still-funct LEO and Churchill Downs Magazine, among other places. She also works at a job with no title at a Kentucky-based, family-owned CBD startup company. Melissa is a native New Englander who’d spent most of her adult life in New Orleans until she moved to the Highlands of Louisville in 2006 where she still resides with her husband and a cat named Josephine. You can follow her on Twitter @loueyville.

Jason left an impact on our company through his wide range of experience in technology and customer service, with a specific focus on big-picture strategy. Jason never met a stranger. He loved talking to people, even when it was just me asking how something in my iPhone worked. He is missed every single day and we are sure to chuckle now and then in his honor.